Apple Developer, formerly Apple Developer Connection or ADC, is Apple Inc.'s developer network. It is designed to make available resources to help software developer

Software developer

A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...

s write software for the Mac OS X

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

 and iOS platforms. The cost is US$99/year.

Benefits of membership

• Support from Apple engineers - Apple Developer Program members are eligible to receive help such as technical support
  Technical support
  Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
  
   and code support, directly from Apple engineers in their products.
• Apple Developer Library - The Apple Developer reference library provides developer news, technology releases, and technical information. As well, it provides Apple-authored technical documentation, a wide range of Software Development Kits, tools, and sample code.
• Access to prerelease software - Another notable feature of the Apple Developer Program is the ability to receive prerelease software, most importantly prerelease versions of Apple's own operating system, as well as other Apple software. Apple products are regularly seeded whenever a build occurs.
• Eligibility to attend the World Wide Developers Conference - With an Apple Developer Program membership comes the eligibility to attend the WWDC, one of the premier Mac conferences held throughout the year. In the past, the WWDC has been the venue for the introduction of Mac OS X v10.3
  Mac OS X v10.3
  Mac OS X Panther is the fourth major release of Mac OS X, Apple’s desktop and server operating system. It followed Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" and preceded Mac OS X Tiger...
  
  , Mac OS X v10.4
  Mac OS X v10.4
  Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger is the fifth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Tiger was released to the public on 29 April 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X Panther , which had been released 18 months earlier...
  
  , and Mac OS X v10.5
  Mac OS X v10.5
  Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on 26 October 2007 as the successor of Tiger , and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a...
  
  , as well as the introduction for the Power Mac G5
  Power Mac G5
  The Power Mac G5 is Apple's marketing name for models of the Power Macintosh that contains the IBM PowerPC G5 CPU. The professional-grade computer was the most powerful in Apple's lineup when it was introduced, widely hailed as the first 64-bit PC, and was touted by Apple as the fastest personal...
  
   - and its successor, the Mac Pro
  Mac Pro
  The Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
  
  .
• Invitations to exclusive workshops - Apple Developers receive invitations to exclusive workshops, and conferences about the latest technologies. Generally, the workshop is a demonstration of the latest Apple technology done by an Apple engineer.
• iPhone SDK
  IPhone SDK
  The iOS SDK is a software development kit developed by Apple Inc. and released in February 2008 to develop native applications for iOS.-History:...
  
  - Apple Developers can download the iPhone SDK in order to write applications targeting iOS. The iPhone SDK is available in all Apple Developer accounts, including free memberships.
• Compatibility testing - The Apple Developer Program provides compatibility testing for new Applications. The compatibility testing centers are located in Cupertino, California
  California
  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
  
  ; Tokyo
  Tokyo
  , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
  
  , Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  ; and Beijing
  Beijing
  Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
  
  , China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  . At the Cupertino campus alone, there are three separate labs which collectively have hundreds of Mac configurations, with several different third party peripherals.
• Listing on the App Store - Apple Developer Program members are able to submit their applications to the Mac
  Mac OS X
  Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
  
   or iOS App Store, where they can either publish their application for free, or sell their product to end-users.

Apple Developer Programs

Apple Developer offers both free and paid programs. Free programs include a basic Apple Developer account and the Safari Developer Program, while paid plans include the iOS Developer Program and the Mac Developer Program. Paid memberships are for one year, and are renewable at the same price as originally purchased. Alternate versions of these programs targeted towards universities and enterprises are also available.

• Safari Developer Program - The Safari Developer Program is free, and allows members to develop extensions for Apple's Safari
  Safari (web browser)
  Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
  
   web browser.
• Mac Developer Program - The Mac Developer Program replaces the prior ADC Student, Select, and Premier programs, and costs $99/year.
• iOS Developer Program - The iOS Developer Program provides Apple Developer resources focused around iOS development, and costs $99/year.

Software leaks

There have been several leaks of secret Apple software through the prerelease program, most notably the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger leaks, in which Apple sued three men who allegedly leaked Mac OS X 10.4 prerelease builds to BitTorrent.